Monster
by Pakkan
Summary: A slight AU in which the sealing of the Kyuubi causes Naruto to become half demon. Horrified at this development, the young boy struggles to hide his growing violent urges as he begins his journey to become a full-fledged shinobi. Parental!Genderless!Kyuubi. Naruto will not be god-like.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfiction, unless you count the embarrassing amount of self-insert x original character stories I used to write in middle school. I always hate when authors make the pairing a guessing game, so I'll state them here:**

 **Neji/Naruto (main), Lee/Sakura, Kankuro/Kiba, Shino/Hinata, Chouji/Ino, Kakashi/Iruka, Shikamaru/Temari, others to be decided**

 **I hope that my story is at least somewhat enjoyable. Constructive criticism is much appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters associated with the series.**

* * *

Five years ago on October 10, a monstrous beast attacked the village of Konohagakure. The foxlike entity caused mass destruction and killed many shinobi and civilians that day, leaving families torn apart and homeless. It seemed that the village would be unable to stop the demon's violent rampage; everything they threw at it was ineffective, easily swept away by the nine tails of the beast, and the malicious aura it released made most men cower in fear. The villagers despaired that their precious home would be reduced to nothing but a crater in the ground. However, there was one ninja who was able to face the nine-tailed fox head on, undeterred by the immense killing intent released by the chakra monster.

The Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

The blonde man bravely faced the beast, standing upon his toad summon which rivaled the size of the fox. There was no moment of hesitation on either side before he and the beast clashed, with Minato managing to drive it slightly away from the village. The battle lasted hours and an exhausted Minato, seeing no other choice, had to make a very difficult decision.

He had to seal the creature within a child.

In exchange for his own life as well as his wife's, he sealed the beast inside a newborn, his own child: Uzumaki Naruto. With his dying breath, the Yondaime's last request was that the child be known as a hero for imprisoning the beast and keeping it from destroying the village. He died, hoping that the villagers would honor his request.

The Sandaime Hokage did his best to keep his promise to the Yondaime. However, many of the villagers of Konohagakure saw the beast instead of the child; hate and anguish blinded them to the reality of the situation. They had lost family, friends, and lovers to the beast and were outraged that it was still alive and able to roam freely around Konoha. Even with the Third's law in place, they took upon themselves the job of showing the beast just how unwelcome it was in their village.

It started with verbal attacks.

The villagers would spit slurs at him and refuse to let him into their shops. The child was hard-pressed to find a shop where the owner and patrons didn't shout in anger whenever he passed by. Though it was announced forbidden by law, they regularly alluded to him being a demon. They told him that he should die. They said he was worthless. They said something as evil and wretched as he was didn't deserve to live.

When that stopped being enough, when it no longer dulled the pain in their hearts, they began to hit the blonde boy. They beat him whenever they saw him, his presence seeming to reopen old wounds. He never knew what he did wrong; no matter how long he stared at his chipped, water stained ceiling, he could never understand why he was hated so. His only relief was that his injuries healed quickly. His small comfort was short term.

The villagers, once they noticed his bruises and cuts healing almost immediately, began to use him as stress relief for more than just that caused by the attack of the Kyuubi. If they lost their job, they'd blame it on him. If a child came down with a severe sickness, it was his fault. He would be beaten until they were satisfied. It didn't matter to them that he was incapable of doing most of what he was claimed to have done. Luckily the physical abuse he was subjected to never escalated to rape, as the villagers were disgusted with the idea of touching the demon that intimately.

They terrorized the boy to the point he was afraid to tell anyone about it, even his grandpa, the Sandaime. It was only a matter of time until the aging man found out, though.

One day, one of the Sandaime's ANBU happened to pass by during one of Naruto's daily beatings. The ANBU, Dog, quickly broke up the mob. His anger was visible to the villagers, causing a few to run. None escaped. Most were unconscious and sporting various injuries by the time Dog was done.

Gently lifting the hurt boy into his arms, he hurried to the Hokage's office to report what happened. The Sandaime was enraged, ordering that the mob members be rounded up. He called a public meeting, using the caught mob as an example. A year or two in prison didn't faze the villagers, though.

The Sandaime ordered that there be at least one ANBU member with Naruto at all times when he noticed the physical abuse continue in spite of his warning. In hindsight, he realized he should've had a guard around Naruto since the beginning, that he had put too much trust in his beloved village.

For a while, this stopped the beatings. The villagers still scowled and yelled at him and refused him entrance into their stores, but he no longer had to fear the random attacks.

Until village security was threatened and all of the ANBU members were required to report to the Hokage. This was a distraction, though. The angry villagers, some of whom were skilled ninja, managed to trick the Hokage and his ANBU.

Of course it helped that one of the mob members was an ANBU veteran.

* * *

The day was October 10, Naruto's fifth birthday.

The villagers broke into his small apartment, which he had to live in since no one would take him in, and proceeded to attack him. This time was different, though. Usually they would only use their fists, and most of the cuts were received from being pushed to the ground. This time they were using knives, stabbing and ripping into flesh.

The boy screamed, tears streaming down his face as the mob cut through tender skin. He cried, thinking that this time the villagers would finally kill him. The last thing Naruto remembered was one villager raising a kunai and then unbelievable pain erupting in his right eye before he passed out.

He awoke in the hospital, finding out that he had lost his eye. His attackers had been executed, the ex-ANBU being stripped of his title shortly before execution, but they took with them Naruto's childhood.

He was no longer the bubbly young boy that often grinned in spite of the words and fists thrown at him. He now lived in fear of everyone around him, expecting a beating wherever he went. The Sandaime made sure that no one laid a hand on the young boy again. He knew he had acted far too late.

He silently begged the Yondaime for forgiveness.

* * *

A few weeks later found Naruto looking at his bathroom mirror. Bandages were still around his right eye, but a morbid curiosity possessed him. What did his eye look like? Was it all mangled, or was it just an empty socket?

Slowly, he started to unravel the bandages. He wanted to stop, but his hands kept moving. It was like he wasn't even in control of his own body anymore. He knew he should leave the bandages alone but he couldn't help himself; he needed to see what was underneath. What was hidden behind the bandages shocked him.

His eye was there.

Or rather, _an_ eye was there. He did not recognize it as his own. His eyes were blue, but this one was red with slitted pupils similar to that of a cat's. Or a monster's.

This was not his eye.

His heart rate rose and he felt panic begin to overtake him. That was when he heard a deep rumbling from within his mind. The deep growling voice, surprisingly soothing, explained to him the truth of his birth as well as the fact that, yes, that really was the boy's eye. It told the blonde the sealing had caused him to become half demon due to the type of seal used and the demon's own chakra.

Naruto was afraid. He really was the monster the villagers made him out to be. With this revelation he really looked at himself in the mirror. Aside from his eye, he noticed that his canines were long and sharp, much more so than a normal human being. His nails even had a jagged tip. Slightly pointed ears poked out of his shaggy hair, and the markings on his cheek were dark and whisker-like. Things that he had never noticed, but the villagers must have.

The beast inside him, who had revealed that it had been controlled the night of the attack, tried to console him. It said he would be okay, that he was fine. But Naruto knew.

He was a monster.


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot to post the ages lmao (not all of these characters show up in this chapter, I'm just putting it here for future reference)**

 **Kakashi: 26**

 **Naruto: 17**

 **Rest of Rookie Nine: 15**

 **Team Gai: 18**

 **Gaara: 18**

 **Kankuro: 19**

 **Temari: 20**

 **Iruka: 22**

 **Sarutobi: 68**

 **I personally feel that twelve is a very young age to throw a child into ninja work. Fifteen is still young, but I have to keep in mind the life span of a ninja (dying early because of missions, sickness, etc). One thing I didn't understand in the anime/manga was that even though Naruto had previously failed the exam twice, he was still the same age as the children he graduated with. Wouldn't he have been older if the graduation age was twelve? The flashbacks show that he's been with these classmates a while too. Idk that whole thing confused me.**

 **Tbh this chapter is messy even though I've read through it at least ten times. I might come back and edit later. This story will closely follow canon until about the Chuunin exams.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters associated with the series.**

* * *

It had been twelve years since Naruto had first found out about the beast inside him as well as his transformation into a half demon. He was still treated horribly, but he dealt with it as best he could. The physical abuse had stopped, and the Hokage made sure he got everything he needed.

The boy had changed from the hyperactive blonde who pulled pranks for attention into a quiet child. His fear of the villagers had mostly dissipated and left him longing for friends, but he was also afraid of getting too close. He feared that they would turn their backs on him once they saw how monstrous he really was. Not even the Hokage knew of Naruto's situation. He hid his eye underneath a black patch, and luckily he had already had a few checkups before his eye had regenerated so the medics saw no reason to perform another. Naruto's shaggy hair covered the points of his ears and everything else was assumed to be a side effect of the sealing. The Hokage was a kind man who didn't let these physical changes alter his perception of the child, although he wasn't aware of the truth of them, and Naruto wished to repay him for all he'd done.

It seemed that he couldn't repay the Hokage with shinobi work as he had originally planned, though; he had already failed the academy exam twice. Today was his third attempt.

Everything was going well. The written test was hard, but he was certain he had scored high enough to pass. The physical examination was easy. It was when the ninjutsu portion of the exam began that everything fell apart.

"Alright, Naruto, please make a clone," Iruka, his academy instructor as well as older brother figure, asked.

Naruto gulped, knowing it was over. He had awful chakra control and had never been able to produce a decent clone. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he tried his best to gather chakra and produce a working clone.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!"

To Naruto's surprise, a clone appeared beside him. Unfortunately, the clone's eyes were black and beady, and its skin was pale. The clone couldn't even stand up in its own! It was over. Again.

"Naruto…I'm sorry, but you fail," Iruka said, just as expected.

"Come on, Iruka! Cut him some slack. He passed the written exam and did well in the physical examination," Mizuki, Naruto's other instructor, said.

"He just barely passed the written test, and it's academy policy to hold a student back if they can't pass all three exams," Iruka retorted. Naruto saw him glance at him in pity.

Iruka always acted kind to him, but Naruto couldn't shrug off the thought that Iruka was just like the rest of the village even though he and the man had gotten close over the years.

After all, it wasn't like he hadn't noticed the look the scarred Chuunin used to give him.

* * *

Naruto watched the other "Genin" chat happily with their friends and family. Jealousy bubbled in his stomach as he sat on the swing, alone.

Why couldn't Iruka pass him? It was just one slipup! In his heart he knew his adopted older brother meant the best, but it didn't stop the ugly feeling of envy from taking over his being.

Naruto had always studied so hard, but couldn't seem to retain all of the information he read. He was more so a hands on person, yet he had trouble controlling his chakra. Kyuubi couldn't help him, since the fox wasn't a human and didn't use chakra the same way humans did. The fox did teach him how to use his senses and a couple of techniques demons could use, though.

Suddenly there was a presence beside him. He flinched slightly in shock as he didn't even sense the man coming. _Mizuki_ , he thought as he could smell the familiar scent. Something seemed off about the man, though. Naruto could hear the nine tailed fox growling warnings in his mind. He tensed.

"You know, there is a way for you to graduate this year," the man murmured, a gentle smile on his face.

All thoughts about the man's strangeness vanished as hope flooded Naruto, the desire to graduate overriding his suspicions of the man. He ignored Kyuubi and he followed Mizuki away from the new Genin until they came to the quiet roof of some unused building.

Mizuki smiled at the boy and said, "You know Iruka's just doing his job. He cares for you."

"I know, I know. It's just…it was a little thing. Everyone else passed," Naruto muttered.

"Well, there is another way to pass," Mizuki whispered after a moment's pause.

"What is it?" Naruto asked him, heart beating fast.

Mizuki bent down to murmur his plan into Naruto's ear. Naruto hummed every so often to show he was listening. When the gray haired instructor finished, Naruto turned to him with a small smile.

"I'll pass for sure, Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto said, feeling a lot like his younger, carefree self.

Without another word, Naruto raced toward the Hokage tower.

* * *

Naruto sniffed the air, sneaking through the hallway when the scent of a human or ninken didn't enter his nose. He quickly and quietly made his way to a room he'd never seen before. This was the room Mizuki told him about.

The door was large and sturdy, but Naruto was confident he could pick the padlock. His pranking days might have ended a few years back, but that didn't mean he'd lost any of those skills. He brought out an old senbon needle from his pocket and began to mess with the lock. After five minutes, Naruto began to sweat. The lock wouldn't budge, and he could hear voices from down the hall approaching.

He gripped the lock tighter, anxiety filling him. His hand clenched tighter and tighter as he began to panic until he heard something crack. He looked down, seeing that the lock had broken apart in his hands. _Whoops_.

Naruto hurriedly opened the door and snatched the scroll from the table inside before hightailing it out of the tower. He didn't stop running until he came to the place he was supposed to meet Mizuki, a forest right near the border of Konoha.

He stood in the forest clearing, leaning on the abandoned building situated on the edge while trying to catch his breath. At first he was going to quietly wait for his sensei to instruct him, but quickly became bored when the man hadn't showed after ten minutes _. It wouldn't hurt to look over the scroll before Mizuki-sensei arrives,_ the boy thought.

Grinning for the first time in months, Naruto opened the scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" he murmured aloud the name of the first title. _Aw man, already a jutsu I'm not good with!_

Sighing, he decided to attempt it anyway.

* * *

Thirty minutes later found him breathing hard and covered in dirt _. Man that was hard_ , he thought before grinning. _But I did it!_ He briefly wondered why this jutsu, while still a cloning technique, was significantly easier for him to accomplish than the basic cloning jutsu taught at the academy.

He would ask Kyuubi, but the fox seemed to still be angry with him for ignoring its earlier warnings.

"Naruto!" someone yelled, jumping into the clearing and startling Naruto.

He hadn't even smelled or heard him coming.

"Iruka-sensei! I only had enough time to learn one, but I can graduate now, right?" Naruto asked, smiling at the man.

Why did Iruka look so angry and confused, though?

"Naruto," Iruka started. "Who told you that?"

The boy hesitated, sensing something was off, before quietly saying, "Mizuki-sensei."

A barrage of kunai and shuriken pinned Iruka to the wall of the abandoned building before either of them could say anything else. A couple of the weapons went directly through Iruka's skin, causing him to shout in pain. A dark chuckle had Naruto turning his attention toward the trees outlining the clearing.

There was Mizuki, a large shuriken on his back and a nasty smirk on his face.

"Wha…what's going on?" Naruto stuttered, his visible eye going wide.

 **He tricked you, child. I tried to warn you earlier that something about him wasn't right, but you chose not to listen,** the fox said. Naruto deeply regretted ignoring the fox as he watched Iruka struggle to free himself.

"Naruto, run! Mizuki only wants the scroll for himself," Iruka yelled, fighting against the many knives pinning him vertically to the wooden shack.

"Ehh, Naruto, don't listen to him. He doesn't even like you. No one in Konoha does. Haven't you ever wondered _why_ everyone in the village hates you?" Mizuki sneered.

It's true that Naruto used to wonder, but he had found out long ago the reason for the villagers hatred of him. What really hit him was the question of Iruka's feelings. He tried so hard to believe that Iruka truly cared for him, but he'd always held a little doubt in his heart and Mizuki was easily bringing it to the front of his mind. It was hard to believe someone liked him when most cursed his very existence. Even the Sandaime wasn't safe from doubt.

"Naruto, run away!" Iruka screamed. "Don't listen to him!"

Though Naruto knew exactly what Mizuki was going to say, he didn't move. He knew it was the perfect opportunity to "learn" of the beast inside him, no matter how dangerous the situation was. It was also a stall for time, hoping that if Iruka had chased after him, more ninja would soon be on the way.

"Seventeen years ago, the nine-tailed fox wasn't killed by the Yondaime Hokage. Instead it was sealed into a child. You!" the gray haired Chuunin laughed.

"No!" Iruka shouted. In the back of his mind Naruto thought it was rather dramatic, but then he remembered he wasn't supposed to know this information.

"Huh…?" he forced his voice to barely reach above a whisper.

"That's right! You're the nine-tailed fox! Iruka could never love a demon like you!" Mizuki grinned as Naruto visibly flinched. "So, I guess I'll do the whole village a favor and get rid of you on my way out!"

The large shuriken on Mizuki's back was now rapidly heading toward Naruto. The boy, even with Iruka's screaming in the background, could not get his shaking legs to move fast enough. He knew that if he didn't get out of the way he would die, half demon or not.

 **Child-**

Blood dripped onto his face, and Naruto stared in shock at Iruka who was pinning him to the ground. The shuriken Mizuki had thrown was lodged deep into Iruka's back as the Chuunin had ripped himself from the wall to protect his student.

"N…Naruto," Iruka coughed out, tears beginning to leak from his eyes. "Don't listen to Mizuki. You're very precious to me. You aren't the demon fox; you're Naruto Uzumaki, my precious student."

Naruto's own eyes were now wet and his lips trembled as he held back sobs. The man was looking at him with such conviction that it physically hurt the seventeen year old. Iruka was so confident in him, so sure he knew the blonde. His fingers briefly slid against fabric as he wiped at his eye. The eyepatch had managed to stay on his face and hide his right eye from view, even with the rough shove to the ground. He was the monster everyone thought he was, even if Iruka believed differently. If his academy teacher saw the eye, he knew the brunet would once again act like the majority of the village. He may not have been the one to kill anyone seventeen years ago, but the villagers weren't wrong about him being a demon.

Naruto could never let Iruka know.

The boy gently pushed Iruka to the side so he could stand. He wanted to run far away so he didn't have to think about all the negatives that could occur, but he knew if he fled now Mizuki might kill Iruka. No, he wouldn't let that happen. Iruka was _his only family,_ side from the Hokage. No one would take him away. Not without a fight.

Naruto didn't notice the low, barely audible growl that left his throat, nor the way he leaned toward the ground, almost like he was about to go down on all fours. What he did notice was the dark turn his thoughts were taking, chanting _kill him, rip him,_ _ **eat him**_ and he paused. That wasn't Kyuubi he was hearing, it was himself. It scared him, but he needed to remain calm so he could protect himself and Iruka. He wasn't sure how he was going to go against a Chuunin level ninja though when he himself could barely perform the most basic of ninjutsu. He'd have to surprise the man.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto began to fly through the hand signs he had only learned an hour ago.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he yelled out, a giant cloud of smoke forming around him.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed over thirty Naruto's standing in its place. Mizuki's eyes widened and Naruto took advantage of his former sensei's momentary lapse in guard. The boy rushed forward, along with his solid clones, and completely surrounded Mizuki before he had a chance to recover.

Shouts and yelps filled the clearing along with the sound of skin hitting skin. Naruto punched Mizuki so hard he thought he heard bone crack. His hand hurt afterwards, but he was pretty sure that the sound came from Mizuki. The ex-Konoha nin also got in a few shots, and one almost knocked Naruto unconscious. He was still a child after all, and the most fighting he had done was during spars in the academy. The blonde felt bruises beginning to form on his stomach and arms, his lower lip stinging when his tongue darted out to wet it. He desperately kept fighting, though.

When Mizuki finally laid knocked out on the ground, Naruto was panting heavily. Even if Mizuki had been distracted, he was an experienced Chuunin whose physical prowess was much greater than Naruto's. The boy knew that if he hadn't learned the Kage Bunshin technique earlier, he would have stood no chance against the experienced ninja. Naruto stumbled toward Iruka before collapsing beside the teacher, not noticing his tattered eyepatch fluttering off.

The two sat there in silence for a while.

"Hey, Naruto," Iruka spoke up.

Naruto sluggishly turned his head toward the brunet, the right side of his face still hidden by the ground. "Yes, sensei?"

"Sit up and close your eyes," Iruka smiled.

Naruto shakily pushed himself into a sitting position, letting his eyes close. He felt a nice, cool breeze hit his face before noticing that something was wrong. Iruka was tying something around his neck, but Naruto was more focused on the lack of fabric over his right eye. _It must have been knocked off when I was fighting Mizuki,_ the blonde thought. _Crap. Good thing I haven't fully faced Iruka yet._

"Naruto, open your eyes," Iruka instructed, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts.

"O-okay," he replied, being extra careful to keep his right eye shut. He didn't want Iruka to abandon him after finally coming to the realization that Iruka truly cared for him.

Now that he could see again, he noticed Iruka's headband was gone and he felt a weight around his neck. He brought a hand up to his throat, feeling the indention in the metal plate on the headband he received from Iruka. A wide grin split his face and he launched himself at the older male, ignoring the pain in his body.

"Does…does this mean I pass?" the boy asked, making Iruka smile fondly at him even as the Chuunin winced from the tight hug.

"Haha, yep! Congratulations, Naruto. You're officially a Genin," the instructor replied, putting an arm around the boy in a half hug.

"Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei? Can we go out for ramen?" Naruto questioned.

"Fine, fine," Iruka sighed.

"Thank you!" Naruto smiled before passing out from exhaustion.

 **Congratulations, child.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter has been finished for months (I have up to chapter seven written already), but I've been too lazy to proofread :') There will be a little time before the next big chapter comes out because I need to finish seven and move onto eight. I say "big chapter" because I also have written little fillers that focus on interaction, whether that be with humans or animals. The next update will be one of those fillers.**

 **I really love constructive criticism!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters associated with the series.**

* * *

While Naruto didn't get ramen the night he graduated, Iruka was kind enough to treat him the morning after.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said in between gross slurping noises.

The normally reserved boy felt comfortable enough around the ramen shop owners, the only entrepreneurs that treated him with kindness, and his academy sensei to be more open than usual. His shoulders were relaxed and a small smile gently lifted his lips as he wolfed down his fifth bowl of ramen.

"Ahh, no problem, Naruto," Iruka sighed, bringing his wallet out to pay. "We need to leave soon so we can make it on time to the academy. You guys are going to be put in three man teams and given a Jounin sensei, remember?"

Naruto swallowed before answering. "I know. This is my last bowl."

After Naruto was done eating, they sped walked toward the academy. They exchanged small talk, but Naruto couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He was lucky enough to meet a teacher like Iruka who didn't judge him based on his prisoner (anymore), but would his new sensei be the same? His stomach rolled slightly thinking about it.

 **Quit worrying about useless things, child,** Kyuubi sighed. **I'm going to nap.**

 _Sorry, Kyuubi._ Still, Naruto wasn't overly excited to reach the academy.

All too soon, they arrived at the school building. Iruka shoved Naruto through the door before walking to the front of the room, picking up a few papers from his desk. Naruto walked to the first open seat he saw, which happened to be next to Uchiha Sasuke, and sat down. Unfortunately, said Uchiha felt that glaring at him was appropriate. Irritation began to replace nervousness.

Naruto hadn't been able to befriend anyone in the academy but he didn't dislike them for it. They all held an unreasonable amount of hatred for him, passed on to them through their parents, but the Uchiha was the only one who pissed him off.

Naruto had heard about the massacre the night it was discovered. He knew the pain the other felt was greater than his own, having never had family to love in the first place. Unlike Naruto, the villagers treated the Uchiha survivor like a prince. The raven haired boy had everything given to him, yet he showed no appreciation. He constantly looked down on everyone around him, including teachers. His attitude was nasty, and, though Naruto felt slightly guilty for thinking it, he was unsure of why so many loved him. Especially when the raven haired boy liked to frequently remind him of how stupid he was.

Loud screeching echoed throughout the classroom, further annoying Naruto, as two girls sprinted through the entrance. They argued about who was first for a couple of minutes before looking at where Naruto and the Uchiha were sitting and running over. More arguing occurred, but then they finally seemed to notice that Naruto was there.

"Hey, idiot! Move out of the way! I'm going to sit next to Sasuke-kun," they both said, glaring at him.

They were Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. While Sakura had civilian parents, the pink haired girl was quite talented in the shinobi arts. Ino was from the Yamanaka clan, who were highly praised for their mind jutsus. Both of them, like most of the female population in Konoha, had an unhealthy crush on the Uchiha survivor.

Before Naruto could reply, Sakura frowned before asking, "Why are you even here? Only academy graduates are supposed to be here."

The blonde boy pointed toward headband tied around his neck. "I passed."

The pink haired girl didn't look convinced. Naruto didn't blame her, seeing as he hadn't been announced as a graduate the day of the exam. The girl once again opened her mouth to speak, but thankfully Iruka interrupted.

"Haruno! Yamanaka! Please sit down," he called.

The two girls then noticed that they were the only ones left standing. Blushing in embarrassment, they both rushed to sit down. Sakura plopped down next to Naruto, while Ino made her way toward a boy named Nara Shikamaru.

When the girls had sat down, Iruka began to list the teams. Naruto let his attention drift until he heard Iruka calling out his name.

"…Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura," Naruto heard the pinkette groan. "And Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura cheered loudly and the blonde saw Sasuke wince.

Iruka named the other teams before leaving the Genin to wait for their new instructors. Naruto watched as one by one, the other teams in the room left with their Jounin sensei. His fears from earlier that morning resurfaced as he wondered who his Jounin sensei would be. Eventually they were the last group left waiting.

"…late," Sakura muttered under her breath, though Naruto didn't pay her much mind. He was still lost in his own thoughts.

He may have been able to keep his secret from a grandfather he rarely saw and an oblivious Chuunin brother, but how would he keep his expert Jounin sensei, who he would see and work with every day, from discovering the truth behind his strange appearance? Could he even hide it from his teammates? He'd managed to hide his eye for years and most of the village assumed that the other abnormalities were a direct result of being a jinchuriki. That was partially true.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when the scent of dog reached his nose. Was their instructor an Inuzuka clan member? Naruto couldn't really tell, since to memorize scents he would have had to hang around those people often, and no one stayed near him for very long. Inuzuka's were the only ones he knew that used dog ninken, though.

The door opened, and in came a scarecrow-like man with silver hair. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask, and his ninja headband laid in a way where it hid his left eye from view.

"Yo," the man greeted.

"Good afternoon, sensei," Sakura replied, hiding her previous irritation behind a friendly smile.

Sasuke grunted and Naruto stayed quiet.

The Jounin hummed before stating, "My first impression of you all…you're nothing special. Pathetic. Meet me on the rooftop." He vanished.

Sasuke scowled and immediately left the room, Sakura following him closely. Naruto was soon alone in the room. His teacher already hated him? Shaking his head, he thought of how much Iruka and the Sandaime had done for him and walked after his teammates. Once he arrived, the man turned to the group.

"Tell me about yourselves," he asked, though it was more of a demand.

"Um, sensei? Why don't you give us an example?" Sakura asked.

The man sighed, but did as she asked. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes, dislikes, dreams, and hobbies are none of your business."

 _We only learned his name!_ Naruto inwardly grumbled. A deep voice growled in the back of his mind, making its annoyance known.

"Let's start with you, eyepatch."

Naruto frowned. _Like you're one to talk, sensei._

"Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are ramen, foxes, and my family. My dislikes are the three minutes it takes instant ramen to cook, people who unnecessarily abuse other people and animals, and...," he paused before continuing. "I don't really have any hobbies and my dream is to repay those who have helped me."

Kakashi stared at him silently for a moment, making the blonde fidget, before moving on to Sakura. As the girl began to giggle while answering and giving Sasuke creepy looks, Naruto stopped listening. He heard bits and pieces of Sasuke's introduction, and briefly wondered who the man was that Sasuke wanted to kill before their Jounin sensei spoke.

"Meet me at Training Ground 10 tomorrow at 5am. Make sure you don't eat breakfast or else you'll throw up," Kakashi ordered.

 **Eat in the morning, child.** Naruto nodded.

"Are we starting training tomorrow, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Something like that. You three are going to participate in a survival training exercise," he said.

"We've already done plenty of those in the academy, though," she pouted, crossing her arms.

"Well, what the academy hasn't told you is that you aren't true Genin yet. To become one, you must complete the test I've picked out for you all. However, if you fail, you will be sent back to the academy," Naruto wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the man smile.

"Ehhh?!" Sakura shouted, but their sensei used that moment to disappear. Again.

Naruto didn't stay to listen to Sakura's complaining, opting to walk to his house instead. He knew she wasn't really a bad person, she was just currently grating on his already frazzled nerves.

When he arrived at his dingy apartment, he headed straight for bed. At least until a deep voice growled at him.

 **You better eat before bed, child.** It suggested.

Naruto sighed, knowing the beast was right. He made himself a small dinner with what little he had in his nearly empty fridge and afterwards decided a shower wouldn't hurt. Then he went to sleep.

* * *

 **Child…child! Get your ass into gear! You're gonna be late!**

Naruto groaned, refusing to open his eyes. _Just another year, please…_

 **Well you're going to have to spend another year in the academy if you don't get up RIGHT NOW!** The beast roared.

"Fine, fine! I'm up!" the blonde whined, jumping up and hurriedly getting dressed.

He glanced at the clock, grimacing when he saw that he was already ten minutes late. Groaning again, he ran to his bathroom and rushed to brush his teeth and quickly comb over his hair, not that it helped any. He tied his headband around his neck and grabbed his eyepatch. Without glancing back, he sprinted out of his house and down the road, praying to whatever god was listening that his sensei was also running late.

By the time he made it to the training ground, it was a quarter to six. However, while he saw his two teammates, there was no sign of Kakashi. He thanked the gods he prayed to earlier before making his way over to the two standing in the clearing.

"You're late!" Sakura screeched, pulling her fist back.

Naruto quickly stepped back to avoid her punch, not really feeling in the mood to get hit. In his rush to leave, he'd forgotten to eat. Now his stomach was cramping painfully from lack of food, and the run to the training grounds had only made it worse.

Sakura's eyes widened. Naruto assumed it was because he usually just let her strike him.

"I know, I know. Sorry," he apologized. "Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

"…Also late," she muttered.

Sighing, Naruto flopped down onto the grass. _Might as well get some sleep,_ he thought. Unfortunately Sakura had other plans for him.

"Idiot, what are you doing?!" she shouted, stomping over to him.

"Well he's not here…" Naruto grumbled, not moving from his spot on the ground.

Sakura began to rant, her face turning red. The blonde boy knew she was just frustrated and probably hungry, but he really just wanted to –

"Sakura," Sasuke called. "Shut up."

Sakura didn't speak for the next two hours until their sensei finally showed.

"Sorry I'm late, a black cat crossed my path and…" Kakashi said walking up to the children.

Naruto twitched. _Liar._

"Anyway, about the survival test: you three will be attempting to steal these bells," Kakashi said, dangling a pair of silver colored bells. "To get these bells, however, you must come at me with the intent to kill."

Sakura gasped. "But what if you get hurt, sensei?"

"He's a Jounin, Sakura…" Sasuke said, looking irritated with the girl already.

The pinkette quieted, but this did not get rid of the worried look on her face.

"When I say 'go', the test will start," Kakashi finished. "Remember, if you don't pass, you will be sent back to the academy."

The silver haired man then chuckled.

"Oh, that's right. Only two of you will pass. The third member will be sent back," Kakashi explained.

"Eh?!" Sakura yelped while Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Go!" Kakashi shouted, visibly grinning underneath his mask.

The three Genin jumped into the surrounding forest.

Naruto had finally passed the academy and he wasn't going to let some stupid looking scarecrow man send him back. He hid in a tree near the clearing, thinking of a good strategy to take down his sensei with. He glanced at the two bells situated near his sensei's hip. The boy felt there was something he should realize from that, but nothing was coming to mind. He didn't want to bother Kyuubi with it either, so he ignored the feeling.

He lied in the bushes nearby, waiting for either his sensei or teammates to make a move. One part of him wanted to go out there and wing it, but the more logical side said he should stay put. The man was much stronger than him, meaning he couldn't win with brute strength alone. He needed a strategy.

"Found you," his sensei purred, his voice strangely close to the back of Naruto's head. He could feel the man's breath disturb his hair.

Naruto immediately leapt from the tree, his heart racing as he tried to distance himself from the man. Unfortunately, Kakashi followed him easily, making any escape impossible. Finally he turned to face his teacher. The man also stopped, being roughly forty feet away from the boy. Naruto watched Kakashi's right hand moved toward his weapon pouch. He tensed, thinking his teacher was going to bring out actual weapons. He almost fell over when he saw the man instead take out a hard core porn novel.

"Wha…?" Naruto breathed, confused. Who read that type of material in front of other people? He felt his face heat up and he struggled to keep his eyes on his sensei. He heard Kyuubi cackling in the back of his mind.

"Have you already given up?" Kakashi asked, his voice holding an amused undertone. Naruto frowned, though his face was still tinted red.

Eyes narrowing, the boy rushed toward his teacher. As he neared the man, he dropped down on both his hands and feet, pushing himself up into the air so he could slam his leg down on Kakashi. The man, however, grabbed Naruto's leg and flung him away, never once looking up from his book.

The boy landed on all fours and didn't waste any time before leaping toward his sensei for a second time. This time he created five shadow clones and tried to distract his teacher so he wouldn't notice one of them making its way behind him.

The shadow clone was successful and managed to grab Kakashi from the back. The other Naruto clones quickly pounced on the man, holding his arms and legs still. The original Naruto leapt into the air and aimed a punch at his sensei. Just before his hit landed, he smelled something off.

Using the shoulders of the body he was about to slug, he flipped himself over the giant dog pile and landed neatly on the ground. Looking back, he noticed the man had replaced himself with one of Naruto's clones. Just as he realized that, he felt something slam into him from behind.

He felt his body rush through the air until he landed in the pond ten feet away from where he had been standing. Naruto paddled to the surface, intent on defeating his sensei. He lifted himself out of the water and was about to look for his sensei before he realized he needed to check if the patch was still on his face. It was.

His second of hesitation ended up with him being suspended from a tree. His sensei had taken the opportunity to quickly lasso the boy and hang him by his feet. Naruto could once again hear Kyuubi feeling amusement at his container's predicament.

"A ninja should always be on guard, Naruto," Kakashi admonished. The man continued to talk, scolding Naruto on his lack of awareness.

Naruto needed to find a new way to hide his eye if he was going to have to keep worrying about whether or not the eyepatch was still in place. Otherwise he might die during a mission. That is, if he passed his sensei's test.

Kunai suddenly ripped through Kakashi's body, making Naruto shout in surprise. His sensei's mangled body now lay on the ground. At least until smoke appeared and the body changed to a log. Both the Jounin and Sasuke disappeared into the forest soon after.

All Naruto heard the next hour was Sakura's screaming and the muffled sounds of Sasuke and Kakashi's fight.

While this was going on, he used his abnormally sharp nails to slice through the rope holding him. Since no one was around, he didn't see the point in using his dull kunai. After he was back on the ground, he decided he'd get his teacher while he was busy with Sasuke. However, his nose caught the scent of something pleasant.

 **Child…**

His stomach rumbled, and he couldn't help but follow his nose. After a minute or two of walking through the forest, passing Sasuke and Kakashi, and then passing Sakura, he came upon an injured rabbit. A cat was slowly crawling toward it, the slight bit of blood staining its muzzle the only sign it had been the one to wound the rabbit. Naruto's stomach ached, and instinct took over as he growled lowly at the feline. The cat, startled, whipped its head toward him and hissed. He growled a little louder this time and stepped closer. The cat glanced toward the rabbit and then back at Naruto. After a second, it fled.

Naruto took one step toward the animal and then stopped. He was hungry, but this was a living creature. He wasn't sure if he could –

 **Go ahead and eat. It's okay,** the Kyuubi soothed, and the uncertainty vanished.

The rabbit squeaked in fear as Naruto closed in, his mouth salivating at the scent. He hadn't eaten since dinner last night and his spar with Kakashi had left his stomach cramping painfully. Without a second thought, he snatched up the rabbit, which hadn't been able to move due to the leg injury the cat had left it with, and ripped it open.

He caught its guts with his hands as they spilled out, bringing them to his mouth. It tasted just as good as ramen! He couldn't help but continue to eat, blood dripping down his chin and staining his clawed hands.

When only the head of the rabbit was left, he placed it on the ground. He stared at his hands, finally coming to his senses.

He had just eaten a rabbit. Raw.

He hated that he wasn't as disgusted as he should have been. He hated that he couldn't bring himself to regret eating the small creature.

He weakly wiped the blood from his mouth.

* * *

Naruto managed to run back to the pond and wash off the blood before anyone saw him. He was shaking slightly and even with Kyuubi's comforting words he was still trembling when his teammates returned with Kakashi. No one, thankfully, paid much attention to him as they seemed to be deep in their own thoughts.

"Line up," Kakashi called.

Naruto and his teammates did as they were told and anxiously waited for Kakashi to begin.

"Well, congratulations," the man smiled. "You don't have to go back to the academy."

The blonde boy tensed. _Did Sakura and Sasuke get the bells?_ He glanced over at the two. Sakura was cheering, but he couldn't hear any sort of bell ringing as she jumped up and down. Sasuke didn't move, but by the look on his face Naruto assumed he too hadn't stolen a bell from their sensei. Something was off.

"Because I'll make sure none of you even become ninjas," he snapped, his mood making a complete one-eighty.

Naruto and his teammates flinched. Their sensei continued to scold them, and Naruto hung his head in shame. Especially when Kakashi revealed the purpose of the test: teamwork.

"If the purpose of the test was teamwork, then why only two bells, sensei?" Sakura asked, frowning.

"The test was designed to purposefully pit you against one another. You were supposed to see through that and work together to get the bells. However, neither you nor Sasuke attempted to help Naruto when I attacked him. Naruto, you seemed to give up after being tied. Sakura, you just fawned over Sasuke. Sasuke, you think of yourself as above your teammates and don't bother to help them nor seek their help," Kakashi glared at each of his students as he listed their faults.

"Please, sensei! Give us another chance!" Sakura begged. "We'll do it right this time!"

Naruto glanced up at his sensei, accidentally catching his eye. He thought he saw something flicker in his teacher's one eye, but before he could discern what it was, said teacher spoke.

"Fine. You three will get one more chance, understand?" he growled.

"Yes, sensei!" the three chorused.

"After lunch, we will continue. Naruto, only Sakura and Sasuke will get the lunch boxes," Kakashi said before leaving.

"Hah…" Naruto sighed. _Guess it was good that I ate that rabbit earlier._ He inwardly flinched at the thought and pushed it out of his mind.

 **Yes, it was,** Kyuubi agreed in a dark tone, seeming irritated that Kakashi had singled Naruto out from his team.

Still, the rabbit had been small and Naruto was still hungry. His stomach growled embarrassingly loud, catching the attention of both of his teammates.

Sasuke hesitated before offering his lunch to Naruto.

"Here. You'll be useless on the field if you're hungry," he said.

Naruto was stunned. He'd never imagined that Sasuke would willingly help him, even if it was only for the younger teen's benefit. His hands reached for the tray.

"Wait," Sakura interrupted. "Take mine instead. I don't eat as much as Sasuke-kun."

Naruto smiled at his team. "Thanks."

He took the offered tray and after quickly glancing at the trees to his right, he took a bite.

 _Ah, I smell dog._

Suddenly dark clouds filled the area and thunder began to rumble. Kakashi appeared in front of the startled team, his one eye seemingly scowling at the three Genins.

"You three! I specifically said only Sakura and Sasuke were to eat the lunches," he snapped.

"But-" Naruto began before being cut off by Sasuke.

"You said we were a team. We can't let a teammate starve,"

"Sasuke-kun is right! We are one!" Sakura readily agreed with her crush.

With the words having been taken right from his mouth, Naruto could do nothing else but nod his head.

The clouds disappeared just as quickly as they came and Kakashi's grin was visible even beneath his mask. "You three…pass!"

The clearing was silent for a moment before Sakura erupted into cheers. Sasuke even smirked. Naruto found himself smiling a little.

"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than scum," Kakashi stated. "Remember that."

Naruto liked that saying, he decided.

* * *

The rest of the day went by Naruto in a blur. The blonde was as giddy as he could be. He was a Genin now! A real ninja! His sensei seemed to be a man with perverted taste, but good morals. His teammates were okay, he guessed. They could be friendlier but beggars can't be choosers. Maybe they would become friends!

As he went to sleep, he thought, his heart light with hope:

 _I've always wanted friends._


	4. Filler 1

**I forgot to post this lmao**

 **Still working on later chapters, and tbh this little filler isn't the best. I just wanted something to show the shitty teamwork team 7 currently has, as well as how Kakashi isn't completely oblivious. I'm having a little bit of writer's block for this story rn, but hopefully I'll post the next chapter either by the end of this week, or sometime next week.**

* * *

"This is Cherry Blossom. I'm in position,"

"What about you, Hawk?"

"I'm here,"

"And Fox?"

Naruto winced as the ear bud crackled in his ear. Even at the lowest volume setting, the stupid device was loud enough to cause his sensitive ears mild discomfort.

"Here," he replied, resisting the urge to rearrange the irritating ear piece.

"Alright, on the count of three…one…two…," Kakashi whispered. "Three."

Naruto leapt toward the object of the retrieval mission he and his team were on: Tora the Cat. Said cat sped away as the three Genin ran after it, hot on its tail. Their ambush plan had failed, just like it had the first couple of attempts. Now they were left to just chase after the cat and hope for the best. Maybe even plan yet _another_ ambush.

"Naruto, Sakura. We're splitting up," Sasuke said, leaving his teammates without waiting for an answer. _Same tactic as last time…_

 **So impatient,** Kyuubi grumbled. Naruto silently agreed.

Sakura did the same shortly after, leaving Naruto to sigh and looked ahead toward the cat he was chasing. It hadn't been too long of a chase, only forty minutes had passed since the start of the mission, but he was already tired of this and wished the cat would just give up on trying to get away from them. One way or another, they would eventually capture it.

Naruto growled in annoyance, speeding up. Hopefully the cat would also speed up and quickly run right into his teammates' waiting hands. Unfortunately for him, the cat suddenly made a U-turn and began to sprint toward him. Startled, he was unable to move fast enough to swat the cat away as it leapt up and sunk its claws into his chest.

A strangled snarl left the boy's throat as he tore the cat off of him. The cat dangled limply in his grip as he glared darkly at it. Its ears were now flat against its head, pupils dilated and tail close to its body. He could easily snap its neck if he just –

Twigs snapped behind him and Naruto quickly schooled his face back into a casual expression before turning around. _How could I be thinking of something like that?!_ He screamed at himself, all of his irritation draining away in favor of self-loathing.

The blond saw both his sensei and team walking toward him. A sigh of relief escaped him as he realized they hadn't seen his lapse in stability. He thought he caught Kakashi giving him a strange glance, but it was gone before he could really think about it.

"Good job, team," the man praised, and Naruto saw him briefly stare at the still cowering cat in the blonde's hand.

Sakura, however, glared at Naruto. "You were supposed to chase it toward us!"

"I tried. It turned around and tried to attack me," Naruto replied, though Sakura's expression didn't change much. He wouldn't admit it, but it hurt that neither she nor Sasuke even considered him to be a decent teammate, no matter how much effort he put forth. Their prejudice toward him was hard to dissolve, he found.

Kakashi interrupted the group, saying that it was time for them to return the cat. As they walked, Naruto realized that the sounds of scuttling animals that had filled the forest earlier were strangely absent. He felt it to be fitting.


	5. Chapter 4

**Moving into college in less than 24 hours :')**

 **I'm thankful for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews I've received so far! I wasn't really expecting much, but I'm glad that there are people who enjoy my writing. Again, thank you! :)**

 **Tbh whenever I reread over the chapters to edit them, I have flashbacks of my embarrassingly edgy middle school years lmao**

* * *

It had been several days since the Tora mission and Naruto was quickly becoming irritated with all of the D-rank missions his team was tasked with doing. He had kept quiet so far, but he was itching to get out of the village and do real ninja work! He wanted to become stronger, and picking weeds and walking the Inuzuka's dogs was not the way to do it, he felt. He was also tired of the Inuzuka's dogs attacking him. Stupid dogs. And stupid Kyuubi for just laughing at him while he was mauled.

He waited and waited, but Kakashi still hadn't requested for a higher ranked mission. After three weeks of doing pointless and boring D-ranks, Naruto finally snapped.

"Grandpa, can we _please_ do something less boring? I feel like we're ready for something a little more difficult," Naruto whined, which was uncharacteristic for him to do in front of his team. In front of Iruka or the Sandaime, sure, but he usually refrained from doing so when he was around his team.

"Naruto! Don't disrespect the Hokage with that kind of name!" Sakura shouted at the blonde, but didn't attempt to hit him. He had easily been dodging all of her past attempts now that they were Genin, and soon she'd given up on trying.

"Why you little-! Naruto, you're a new Genin so of course all you've been getting are D-ranks. Don't push your luck. We chose these missions because that's what you're currently capable of. Nothing more, nothing less," Iruka scolded, making Naruto flinch.

"Now, now, Iruka," the Sandaime smiled. "I think I have the perfect mission."

"Huh?" Both Naruto and Iruka turned toward the Hokage.

"Team Seven, you will be in charge of safely escorting the bridge builder, Tazuna, back to the Land of Waves. This is a C-rank mission so please do your best," the Hokage said and then gestured at the door. "Tazuna, you may come in."

Behind Naruto a door slid open. An old man who appeared to be drunk stepped inside the room.

"So these are the ninja that are supposed to protect me? They're just a bunch of stupid-looking kids. Especially the short one," Tazuna drawled, a slight flush on his cheeks and a bottle of alcohol in his right hand.

Naruto felt himself twitch violently, but held back. _He is a civilian, he is a civilian, he is a civilian,_ he chanted in his head as the Kyuubi snickered loudly. Naruto knew he was short for his age, but it was still a sore spot.

 **Glad you're in better spirits, Child,** the fox rumbled, still clearly amused.

 _Eh, what do you mean by that?_ Naruto asked, completely lost. Kyuubi did nothing but chuckle in reply.

"Ah, don't worry, sir. I'll also be with you," Kakashi said, trying to appease the man.

Kakashi continued to speak with the man while Naruto tuned them out. He glanced back up toward the Hokage and smiled. "Thanks, grandpa."

The Hokage smiled back. "Have fun, Naruto."

"Alright team, meet up at the gates around seven in the morning. Don't be late," Kakashi said before leaving.

Naruto walked out of the tower and headed home, ignoring the looks of disdain and disgust he received from the villagers nearby; it was normal. While he was put off by the rude behavior of the client, he was excited for a chance to leave the village. He'd never once left the village before, and he wanted to see what was out there.

He wondered what it'd be like to travel in a place where people knew nothing about him.

Unfortunately, Naruto was so lost in thought that he wasn't watching where he was going. The blonde boy was walking cheerfully one second and was on his ass the next.

"Oof," he gasped, surprised.

Looking up, he locked eyes with a boy who could only be described as extremely intense. Extremely intense bowl-cut. Extremely intense long lower lashes. An extremely intense green spandex suit. Said intense boy held his bandaged hand out to him. Naruto gratefully accepted the hand, and as he took the offered hand, the scent of blood wafted up to his nose.

 _Eh? Are his hands bleeding?_

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Naruto apologized immediately, not mentioning the bloody smell. It would be weird to mention since he doubted anybody else sans the Inuzuka clan could smell it.

"No, no, I was the one at fault," the other said, bowing to the blonde.

Naruto was taken aback. No one had ever bowed to him before, nor had they apologized to him. His cheeks flushed slightly.

"I am Rock Lee," the intense boy introduced and then turned to the two people Naruto hadn't noticed behind him. "These are my teammates, Hyuuga Neji and Tenten."

"Uzumaki N-Naruto," the blonde stuttered, still in shock.

The two Lee had introduced him to were a long-haired boy and a girl with her hair done up in two neat buns. The girl smiled at him, but the boy, whose eyes were similar to his former classmate Hinata's, stared coolly at him. It made Naruto uncomfortable. That type of stare was nothing like the ones the villagers gave him daily, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun!" Lee grinned, and Naruto swore his teeth exuded light.

"Let's go, Lee, Tenten. Gai-sensei is waiting," Neji spoke, beginning to walk ahead.

"OH! THAT'S RIGHT! I'M COMING, GAI-SENSEI! OUR TEAM MUST KINDLE THE FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Lee shouted, making Naruto flinch at the loud volume.

 **Could that brat be any louder?** Kyuubi grumbled.

 _He's a good guy though,_ Naruto thought.

Lee took off, leaving his two teammates behind. Tenten smiled at him once again before leaving with Neji, who didn't bother to look at Naruto.

* * *

Seven in the morning the next day, Naruto arrived at the village gates. His two teammates were already there, but Naruto could see no sign of his sensei nor their client. He briefly wondered if Kakashi would be late yet again, but was quickly proven wrong when he heard his sensei's voice.

"Yo!" the man called, walking toward the group with the client in tow.

And with that they left the village.

Naruto was excited to finally be outside the village. He and his team were to escort Tazuna, the client, back to The Land of Waves. Outwardly, the only sign of happiness was the slight bounce in his step.

After about an hour of walking, Naruto's nose twitched. After Kakashi's survival test, the Kyuubi had been adamant about the boy properly training his senses. As a result, his sense of smell was almost as good as an Inuzuka's. And something smelled weird. He knew he smelled something human, but try as he might, he couldn't pinpoint where the scent was coming from, nor could he see anyone. Large, spiked chains flew out of nowhere and wrapped around Kakashi, interrupting Naruto's search. The chains tightened until Kakashi's body was torn into pieces.

Blood and gore splattered the ground, and Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He had no time to recover when two adult ninja leapt from the trees and darted toward the group. One went for Tazuna while the other headed straight for Naruto, who had lagged behind the rest of the group while trying to find where the scent was coming from. Naruto's shock, however, quickly turned into fear and anger.

On one hand, these men had easily killed his sensei, meaning they could just as effortlessly end his life. On the other hand they had killed _his_ sensei. _His, his, his_ –

 ** _Family_** _._

Naruto could feel something bubble up within him, overriding the fear, and as one of the ninja got close he felt it leak out of his body. He bared his teeth at the man, crouching as he readied himself to launch at the enemy ninja. The man, though he looked startled, kept coming; the killer intent Naruto was leaking out, while surprising in its potency, probably wasn't even comparable to anything he'd faced before.

The blonde forgot all about his client and his teammates who were busy with the second ninja. All that mattered was _killing the_ _ **trash**_ _in front of him_.

 _Wait, no, no, no._ _ **That's not right**_ _!_ Naruto hesitated, and his indecision left him vulnerable to the slicing chains the man slung at him. The back of his left hand was torn open and Naruto gasped in pain. He jumped away from the man, clutching his throbbing hand to his chest. A strange burning sensation emanated from the wound as well as an intense pressure.

 **Poison,** Kyuubi growled, and Naruto could feel the irritation in its voice.

"Sorry, Naruto," Naruto jumped up, spotting the man he thought had died.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he whispered, feeling relieved.

There, standing in front of him, was his sensei. The man was holding both ninja in his arms, looking as calm as ever.

"I didn't know you'd be incapable of moving," Kakashi finished, walking over to Sasuke and Sakura. "Good job, you two."

Naruto didn't bother correcting the man. He didn't want anyone to know what had really gone on in his head. He was seriously about to kill that ninja! He almost ached for his claws to reach in and caress those fragile organs nestled in that body, to violently rip them out and feast on them. The boy felt a disgusted shudder run down his spine. He took out a kunai and stabbed his infected hand to let both of the poisons in him bleed out. That wasn't what he wanted, that wasn't what he wanted. That _wasn't him_.

He vowed to be in control.


	6. Chapter 5

**Lmao whoops it's been forever :') I have no excuse bc college isn't even that hard rn and I've just been laying around eating and reading manga/planning out a dumb comic I wanna do. About to gain that freshman 15 :'( kill me**

 **I'm not 100% certain if I'm gonna do this or not, but I might rewrite some of the chapters bc I get embarrassed when I read over them. Tbh I'd probably get embarrassed either way bc I'm not that confident in my writing lol. My other plan was just to leave the chapters as is and fix up the ones I've yet to post/write better as I go to see the improvement in my writing. I'm really happy that people are still following this dumb story and even leave reviews! Speaking of which I could I have sworn I addressed one specifically but looking back at the notes I didn't so I'll do it now.**

 **A while back I mentioned how I was confused about Naruto's age being the same as his classmates even tho he'd been in the academy longer than his classmates had. A reviewer explained it to me that he had simply just tried to take the exam early. I feel a little slow lol. Anyway, I get it now but I'm too far gone to change the ages, and it's an AU anyway. Thank you for explaining it to me though!**

 **Again, thanks for all of the support!**

 **(On a side note, the ending of the chapter is really abrupt and I didn't feel like fixing it)**

* * *

After that mishap, Naruto was glad when his sensei demanded answers from the client. He himself was pissed that his team had been put in danger without warning. He may have only been placed on the team a few weeks ago, but he already felt protective of them. They were his comrades.

The poison was also a pain to get out, and his hand, while healing quickly, still throbbed.

Tazuna sighed and then gave in. He revealed how The Land of Waves was in a sorry state all thanks to some business tycoon named Gato. Tazuna wanted to build a bridge to help with trade and his home's economy, but Gato was fond of his monopoly and hired assassins to stop the building of the bridge. Tazuna knew he'd need help, so he went to the Leaf. He lied about the difficulty because he didn't have the money to pay for such a mission. Kakashi then turned to the team.

"Well, kids?" he asked.

"Let's keep going," Sasuke murmured, a smirk on his face. Sakura, of course, rapidly agreed.

Naruto was still ashamed about his earlier fight, so all he did was nod. He didn't trust himself to talk.

Tazuna grinned, shouting a loud "thanks!" before leading them in the direction of his house. The path was through yet another forest, and Naruto felt anxious. What if they got attacked again? Would he be able to actually help?

 **Calm down, child,** the demon fox comforted. **Everything will be okay. You'll be okay.**

Naruto smiled to himself and thanked the fox. He was still nervous, but he felt better with Kyuubi being there with him. Kyuubi would help him like it always had.

The blonde boy walked with his team, but heard a strange rustling in the bushes. He couldn't smell anything, so he assumed it was the wind and kept going. At least until he heard a shout from his teacher.

"Everyone, get down!" the masked Jounin shouted.

Naruto flung himself to the ground and felt something rush past him. He heard the sound of metal slicing into wood and glanced to his left. A large sword had sliced into the tree nearest to Naruto and stuck there. A bulky ninja soon landed on top of the sword.

This was just his luck. He knew something bad was going to happen. Then again, he and his team were aware that some man named Gato was sending assassins, but the guy on top of the sword looked ten times stronger than the two from before!

"Well, well! If it isn't the rogue ninja of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi drawled as he walked toward the man.

 _R-rogue ninja?_

"And I'm assuming you're Hatake Kakashi, the Sharingan user," the man, now known as Zabuza, said.

Naruto saw Sasuke whip his head around to look at their sensei, his eyes wide in shock. The blond couldn't figure out why, though. What was the Sharingan?

 **The Sharingan is a kekkei genkai exclusive to the shitty Uchiha clan. It's a fucking awful bloodline and should die out immediately. Whoever massacred the Uchiha clan a couple years back had the right idea,** the nine tailed fox snarled, startling Naruto.

 _But Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha,_ he pointed out.

Kyuubi was silent, but Naruto assumed it was because it didn't have an answer for that. His internal conversation was cut short as mist swirled around the group and obscured his vision. Naruto felt something disgusting go over him - not unlike the feeling the villagers had given off _that day_ \- and shuddered, a cold chill running down his spine and spreading through his body.

He shook off the feeling. He needed to focus this time. He had a mission and a team to protect. He –

"Eight spots…" Zabuza's voice echoed. "Which vulnerability should I exploit first?"

Naruto was almost overwhelmed by the scent of fear. He turned to where the source was, expecting it to be Sakura or Tazuna. He was surprised to see Sasuke trembling, his grip on his kunai so tight his knuckles were turning white.

"Sasuke, calm down," Naruto heard Kakashi say. "I won't let any of my comrades die."

"Is that right?" Naruto flinched and spun around to face the muscular assassin who had appeared behind him.

In a flash, Naruto saw Kakashi launch himself at Zabuza who immediately dispersed into water. Zabuza appeared behind the masked Jounin and sliced clean through his midsection. However, Kakashi too changed into water and appeared behind Zabuza, holding a kunai to his throat.

"It's over now," Kakashi growled.

The rogue ninja just chuckled. "It's over, huh? Sorry, but I'm not a fool."

He burst into water and once again appeared behind Kakashi who managed to duck the first swing but was kicked harshly across the clearing. Naruto slowly got back to his feet, watching as Zabuza leapt into the pond nearby to escape the spikes Kakashi had managed to spread as he went through the air and into the pond as well.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted and ran over near the pond, ignoring the shocked looks his teammates gave him. He couldn't blame them, as he'd never raised his voice much in front of them nor shown that much emotion.

He saw Kakashi resurface, but it was too late. Zabuza was already there and yelling, "Water Prison Jutsu!"

A giant ball of water formed around Kakashi, trapping him. Naruto could feel the anger from earlier returning as he saw his sensei struggle. He watched as Zabuza created another water clone near his group.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura! Take Tazuna and run!" Kakashi yelled, but Naruto knew he and his team couldn't outrun the rogue ninja, clone or not.

He wasn't sure he wanted to run at the moment.

"Haha, you wear a headband and think you can call yourselves ninja, huh?" Zabuza laughed. "A real ninja is one who has hovered in between life and death numerous times…"

The clone was close enough to Naruto he could reach out and touch it. A snarl ripped its way out of his throat and his clawed hand flashed out toward the older ninja. He caught the surprised look on Zabuza's face before the clone easily dodged and punched Naruto.

Naruto fell back a couple of feet but prepared to get up and throw himself at the man. He stopped when he felt the pain in his left hand. He remembered the promise he made to himself, the promise to stay in control. He fought to steady his breathing, willing the anger to go away. The boy knew that fighting while angry was a bad thing, as it made you more vulnerable and impaired thinking. _That's it!_

 **That won't work,** the fox interrupted before he could put his plan into action.

 _Huh? Why not?_

 **Kit, I wouldn't anger a ninja you know is stronger. Sure it'll make him attack wildly, but remember: he's a trained assassin. Killing you wouldn't even make him break a sweat. Even if you're half demon.**

 _Oh. You're right…I think I've got a better idea. We just need to free Kakashi-sensei, right?_

"Sasuke, I've got an idea," he called to his teammate.

"Hn, teamwork, huh?" Sasuke replied.

"You guys! What are you doing! The mission is to protect Tazuna! Leave me and get out of here!" Kakashi shouted.

"What happened to 'those who disobey the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum', huh?" Naruto snapped back.

Zabuza interrupted them, laughing. "Hahaha, friends? When I was your age, my hands were already stained with blood. My academy graduation was that I was to kill my school partners. I did one better by killing everyone in my graduating class."

The blonde half demon was stunned. _He killed all of them?_

 **Don't get distracted, Naruto.**

"Ah…that sure was fun," Zabuza sighed before launching himself at Sasuke.

Naruto turned to help but the bulky man had already slammed his elbow into the Uchiha and had sent him flying. Only another second had passed but Zabuza was already beside Sasuke's fallen form and once again dropped his elbow into the young ninja's stomach. Naruto saw Sasuke cough up blood and his vision almost went red.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, around twenty shadow clones appearing.

Without a second thought, he and his clones rushed the rogue ninja, kunai in hand. They managed to dogpile him, but only briefly. Soon they were blown away by one stroke of the ninja's large sword. Naruto quickly transformed himself into a large shuriken while the smoke from the clones kept him covered. Another of his clones grabbed him and pretended to pull him out of a bag.

"Sasuke!" his clone shouted before tossing the weapon at the dark haired boy.

Naruto inwardly grinned as Sasuke caught the weapon and seemingly realized his plan. Having a genius teammate really worked out well. Sasuke opened the weapon and got into a throwing stance.

"Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows…" Sasuke said before tossing the shuriken.

The shuriken at first appeared to be heading for the water clone, but it quickly went around and flew straight toward the real Zabuza. When it got close, Zabuza caught the weapon with his free hand. However, a second shuriken was still coming at him. Zabuza jumped, hand still in the water prison to keep it activated. He seemed to smirk under his bandages.

Naruto immediately released his transformation and launched a kunai at Zabuza's right arm before he fell into the water. Zabuza was forced to remove his arm from the water prison, freeing Kakashi. The bandaged man, however, was not fast enough to completely dodge the knife and suffered a small cut under his eye.

Naruto resurfaced to see Zabuza glaring at him. That hateful look reminded him of the villagers back in Konoha. He hated those eyes. He'd rip them out like they did his.

Just as Zabuza was about to throw the shuriken he had caught, Kakashi blocked it with the metal plates on his gloves.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto heard Sakura shout.

"Nice job, Naruto. You're strategy was outstanding," Kakashi praised.

 **I agree, child.**

Naruto smiled, a slight flush on his cheeks. It wasn't often he was praised by someone other than Iruka or the Hokage. Kyuubi's praise was also really hard to come by.

"Ha! I got distracted and broke my Water Prison technique," Zabuza said, his shuriken still digging into the metal plate on Kakashi's glove.

"That's not it. You were forced to break it," Kakashi replied, causing Zabuza to scowl.

Naruto decided it was a great time to start swimming to shore. However, before he could get very far, the two Jounin level ninja broke apart and began to weave hand signs. The water around them began to bubble and two identical dragons made of water rose and clashed with each other. The force of the collision caused giant waves to form and push Naruto under the water. He used one hand to keep the eyepatch on his face while he tried to break the surface.

Luckily the waves were brief as the dragons were dispelled seconds later. Naruto resurfaced and swam toward the shore with renewed vigor. There was no way in hell he was getting caught up in that again.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally reached land and pulled himself up. Once he was safely on land, he turned back to watch his sensei's fight with the rogue ninja.

The two men had broken apart for a second time, and Kakashi appeared to be copying Zabuza's every movement. Naruto could easily see how unsettled the former Mist ninja was as the masked man copied every action down to the way he breathed. Zabuza hesitated and Kakashi wasted no time in releasing a jutsu.

"Water Release: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" Kakashi said, and a large ball of water immediately formed and smashed into Zabuza.

The technique sent waves of water everywhere, successfully slamming Zabuza into a tree and almost dragging Naruto back into the pond. Zabuza yelled in pain and Naruto turned to see several kunai sticking out of his body.

"It's over…" Kakashi murmured.

"Are you able to see into the future…?" Zabuza whispered.

Kakashi readied his kunai. "You're going to die."

Needles flew out of nowhere and pierced Zabuza's throat. The rogue ninja collapsed.

"You're right; he died," an unfamiliar voice said.

Naruto glanced over to see a ninja no older than him wearing a full face mask. Their hair was done up in a bun and covered with a yellow piece of fabric.

"He's dead," Kakashi said, and Naruto realized he had checked the body while the blonde was busy examining the new arrival.

 **Something doesn't smell right, child,** Kyuubi growled, and Naruto could imagine the fox's tails swishing in agitation.

Naruto wanted to agree with Kyuubi, but he himself could sense nothing wrong. Kyuubi couldn't give him an exact answer either, so he had to ignore the weird feeling this new ninja gave him. The slight frustration from having his team's kill taken made him want to eat. He looked at the corpse lying not even ten feet away from him and briefly wondered if Zabuza's freshly killed body would taste just as good as the rabbit during his bell examination had.

Naruto shook those thoughts off.

The ninja walked by him toward Zabuza's dead body, and Naruto swore he felt winter pass by. Goosebumps rose on his arms and he shivered.

Soon the ninja took off, along with the corpse. Kakashi's consciousness followed almost immediately and Naruto and his teammates were left to carry the unconscious Kakashi to Tazuna's house, which thankfully wasn't too far off.


	7. Chapter 6

**Wow it's been awhile. I haven't had much motivation for much anything recently lol. I didn't really edit this chapter much from what I originally wrote so it's still kinda shitty but oh well. I'm making Naruto's personality jump around a lot, which is kinda what I'm going for but at the same time I don't think I'm doing it right. I want to show that he's beginning to be a little more open, but also aggressive due to the demon thing.**

 **Also Inari is a fucking drama queen lmao just randomly bursting into tears over people he doesn't know. I understand he's a kid but still it's funny to me. It's either the next real chapter or the one after where I finally branch almost completely away from canon so I don't have to worry about if I'm following the scene correctly :') btw the next chapter should be out this week and the following update will be a little flashback (this is more of a maybe though bc I might branch off from canon sooner instead)**

 **Lastly, thank you all for continuing to follow and like this story! I'm really surprised at how many people have commented on and followed.**

 **(*To the person talking about the opening: I can understand that bc I've read plenty of Naruto stories that do the same as I am with the beginning. I wanted to show the changes I made to the storyline, but honestly reading over this after a few months I agree with you lol. It was annoying to incorporate the canon dialogue and I never want to do it again (I had netflix on and would pause every couple of second to note what went on and it was way too much work for a stupid fanfiction story \: ). For rn, I'm going to leave the story as is, though I do plan on rewriting the past chapters as well as this one soon. For future stories though I don't think I'll do what I did in this one. Thank you very much for the criticism!(: )**

* * *

It had been quite a few hours since Naruto and the others had reached Tazuna's house. Kakashi had yet to wake, and Naruto was getting worried. The older man had been laid in a futon in the upstairs guest room, and after a quick check up only seemed to be suffering from chakra exhaustion and a few cuts and bruises. Still, Naruto knew that chakra exhaustion could be seriously damaging, and they didn't have a real medic nin with them, and there wasn't one in the village. So to take his mind off of his sensei's condition, Naruto decided to help around the cabin as much as he could.

The blonde boy had just finished wiping down the tables when he heard voices upstairs. His teammates, who were also cleaning the house, seemed to hear the voices as well.

Naruto followed the other two as Sakura headed the walk upstairs. He tried to look calm, but truthfully he had been on edge ever since the first assassination attempt, and seeing his sensei almost die definitely exacerbated those feelings. Kyuubi had tried to calm him down but nothing could get rid of the lingering anxiety except seeing his sensei awake and doing well.

Naruto didn't have many people in his life and he wasn't willing to lose the few he did have.

Tsunami was in Kakashi's room chatting with him when they reached the room. Naruto felt relief fill him as he saw his sensei, looking much better than he had when they had first laid him on the futon.

"Ah, sensei! Your Sharingan is impressive, but if it puts that much of a strain on your body, it may not be worth it," Sakura said as she knelt down next to the man.

"S-sorry," Kakashi replied, looking almost ashamed. Almost.

"But you know…we probably don't need to worry for a while," Tazuna spoke up.

"But what about that boy in the mask?" Sakura mumbled, looking confused.

Naruto was also curious about the boy. He and the unknown ninja appeared to be close in age, yet their skill level was so far apart.

"He was the Mist's version of ANBU, a Hunter nin," Kakashi then went on to explain how the Hunter nin forces worked and how they were the ones to dispose of bodies to keep the secrets of their village. "But what did that masked nin do with Zabuza's body?"

"He ran off with it…" Naruto murmured, coming to realize what Kakashi was implying. "So Zabuza is still alive."

"That's correct," Kakashi said.

"What?!" Sakura and Tazuna screeched, hurting Naruto's sensitive ears.

 **I think they've managed to best that Lee kid in volume,** the nine tailed fox grumbled, having been abruptly awakened from its nap.

"But sensei, we watched him die! You even checked!" Sakura argued, looking panicked. Naruto honestly couldn't fault her because he didn't want to face Zabuza again either. That man was terrifying.

Though he was filled with even more anxiety at the thought of Zabuza being alive and well, he couldn't help but be slightly pleased. Zabuza had been his "prey" during that fight, and watching someone else take the kill had pissed him off. These contradicting feelings would give him a headache if thought about them too much, so he focused on Kakashi's voice instead.

"It's true that I checked him, but he was probably just in a state of near-death. The senbon the Hunter nin used has a low chance of killing unless it hits a vital spot. That boy wasn't aiming to kill Zabuza, but to save him," Kakashi explained.

"Sensei, what sort of preparations should we make?" Sakura asked. She, Naruto, and Sasuke looked expectantly at the silver haired man.

"I'm going to assign you all training," Kakashi replied.

"Huh? Even with training we won't get that strong in so little time! That ninja even had you hard pressed for a win, sensei!" Sakura shouted, her body trembling slightly.

"Sakura, who was it that saved me? All of you are growing quickly – especially you, Naruto," Kakashi seemed to smiled underneath his mask.

Naruto's inconspicuously puffed out his chest, glad that his sensei had praised him. He had felt left out during the Demon Brothers' (Kyuubi scoffed) attack, even though he knew it was his own fault.

"It's not like it matters," a new, younger voice came from behind him. Naruto flinched; he had been so proud of Kakashi's words that he neglected to pay attention to his surroundings and didn't notice the child walk up to him.

The boy was in green overalls with a yellowish undershirt. His short black hair was messy, partly covered by a blue and white hat, and he had a bitter look on his face.

"Hey, Inari! Where've you been?" Tazuna called out, grinning cheerfully at the young boy.

"Welcome back, Grandpa," the boy ran up to the old man crouching on the floor and threw his arms around his neck, completely ignoring the ninjas in the room.

"Inari, what kind of greeting is that?" Tsunami scolded, hands on her hips.

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright," Tazuna chuckled, petting his grandson's head.

Naruto watched as Inari stared down his team and then stood to face his mother.

"Mom, these guys will die…" the boy said, pointing toward the group.

Naruto visibly twitched. None of his team would die. He'd make sure of it. The blonde boy settled for merely glaring at the child.

"There are no such thing as heroes," Inari continued. "If you don't want to die, you'd better hurry up and go home…"

"Inari! Where are you going?" Tazuna asked as the young boy walked to the door.

"I'm going to look at the sea…" he muttered and then left.

"Sorry about that," Tazuna apologized, looking a bit embarrassed.

As Naruto left the room to once again help with the house chores, he heard quiet sobbing coming from down the hall.

* * *

"Training begins now," Kakashi said, leading Naruto and his team to a heavily forested area near Tazuna's house, his crutches moving smoothly. "I assume you all know what chakra is."

"Yes, sir," the team chorused.

"Good. Now the technique you will be learning is tree climbing," Kakashi continued, walking closer to one of the trees.

"Tree climbing?" Sakura questioned.

"That's right," Kakashi said, and instead of explaining, the man formed a hand sign and hobbled over on his crutches to the nearest tree and began to walk up.

Kakashi's feet stuck to the tree, keeping him attached as he continued to walk. The masked man didn't stop until he was hanging upside down on one of the lower branches. Naruto watched the man intently, half worried his sensei would fall and the other half extremely impressed.

"Sensei, how were you able to do that?" the blonde spoke up, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Sakura nodding in agreement.

"The point of this exercise is to build the required amount of chakra to the required spot, in this case your feet. However, the bottom of the foot is the hardest to gather chakra. In theory, if you master this technique, you should be able to master any jutsu. That's only in theory, though," Kakashi answered, tossing the three Genin kunai. "Use those to mark your progress on the tree. You three aren't skilled enough to just start walking, so use the momentum from running toward the tree."

Naruto picked up the kunai thrown to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sasuke and Sakura do the same. The blonde signed and then attempted to focus all of his chakra to the bottoms of his feet. Having only been doing teamwork building exercises, his chakra control hadn't improved much from his academy days. Kyuubi had attempted to help him, but not much progress had been made yet.

Once the boy felt he had gathered enough chakra, he ran toward the tree nearest to him. He managed to place one foot on the tree before slipping off. He twisted his body quickly to break his fall and avoid his head slamming into the ground. He looked up to see Sasuke take about ten steps before the wood began to crumble underneath his feet.

 **Try using more chakra.**

"Hey, this is pretty easy!" Naruto heard Sakura say before he could follow Kyuubi's advice.

He glanced up at the tree to his right and saw the pinkette sitting on one of the higher branches. He felt a little irritated that such a boy crazy girl could easily perform the technique while he was stuck trying not to slam into the ground again. He knew, though, that while she was way too into Sasuke, she was also a good and intelligent student.

Naruto stood and once again ran at the tree.

Hours had passed, and Naruto was quickly growing frustrated at his lack of improvement. While Sasuke could run about thirty feet up the tree, the blonde had only reached seven feet. Sakura had already run up and down her tree several times and was now resting at the base.

The boy heard Kyuubi hum before saying, **normally I wouldn't trust the bitch with anything, but why don't you try asking her for advice?**

Naruto hesitated. While he and Sakura were definitely getting along much better than before, would she really help him?

He walked over to where the girl was sitting and crouched down.

"Uh, hey, Sakura. Do you think you could lend me a hand? I can't seem to get the hang of this technique," the blonde asked, embarrassed that he had to ask for help.

The pink haired girl looked surprised, but then smiled at him. "Sure, Naruto. So this is what I do…"

* * *

It was dark by the time Naruto finally decided to call it a day. He was steadily catching up with Sasuke, who had also trained until night fell. Since Sakura had easily mastered the exercise, Kakashi had told her to go and guard Tazuna.

Now Naruto and Sasuke were walking back toward Tazuna's house, heavily bruised and covered in dirt. They supported one another as they slowly made their way through the forest, each one with an arm around the other's neck.

When they reached the house, Naruto could smell food. His mouth watered slightly and he eagerly opened the door. Inside, Sakura and Tsunami were setting the table while Tazuna, Kakashi, and Inari were sitting. Naruto gently brought Sasuke inside and set him on one of the chairs before moving to help Tsunami.

"Wait, Naruto," Sakura said. "You've just finished training. Rest for a little."

Naruto and Sakura had bonded a little while the latter was teaching the blonde how to better control his chakra. Naruto found that they actually had a lot more in common that both of them thought: plant care, cooking, books, etc.

The boy smiled, thanking Sakura and then taking a seat. He stayed quiet, enjoying the sounds of the girls working and Tazuna and Kakashi chatting. It was peaceful. Until Naruto heard Sakura ask about a picture.

Naruto notice Inari tense and Tazuna was silent for a moment before he said, "That man was once the Hero of the Wave. He –"

The blonde watched as Inari suddenly rose from his chair and walked out of the room. Tsunami went after him, but stopped briefly in the doorway.

"Father, I told you not to talk about that man in front of Inari!" she scolded before following the little boy.

The room was quiet until Tazuna once again spoke up. He explained how the man had once been a father figure to Inari. He said how Inari used to look up to the man, as did most of the village. The man had been brave and performed dangerous tasks that no one thought possible until he accomplished them. Then, Tazuna said, Gato arrived. The business man wasn't found of the village hero, and executed him publicly. Inari present for the execution.

Naruto ate and then left the house to immerse himself in his training.

* * *

The half-demon woke when he felt ice cold hands near his throat. Startled, he quickly sat up and his hand went for his weapon pouch on his right leg.

"Ah, I'm sorry to have surprised you," a gentle voice said. "You were passed out on the ground and I was worried that you'd catch a cold."

Naruto looked up at the person kneeling beside him. They were gorgeous. They had long dark brown hair and a slim body. Their lips were a healthy pink and their face was smooth. Their eyes, however, scared Naruto. He was used to seeing disgusted gazes directed at him, and even the occasional affectionate glance, but this person's eyes were completely blank even though a smile was pulling at their lips.

"W-who are you? What are you doing here?" the boy asked quietly, trying to subtly move away from the stranger. He felt a familiar cold air surrounding him, but couldn't place where he'd felt it before. Kyuubi seemed to still be asleep, and he decided not to bother the fox.

"I'm just searching for some herbs," they answered, and Naruto noticed how they avoided answering the first question.

Naruto stayed quiet for a moment. This person was really making him uncomfortable. He wanted to leave.

"What are you doing out here?" the strange person asked before he could come up with an excuse to leave.

"Training…" he answered, watching as the other began to pick the plants nearby.

The person's face mimicked being surprised, but their eyes stayed as blank as ever. "Could it be that…you're a ninja?"

Naruto nodded.

"You seem pretty strong, so why are you training?" the stranger asked. Naruto finally saw emotion flicker in their eyes.

"I'm not strong," he said. "I'm training to become strong."

"Is that for yourself, or for someone else?"

Naruto paused. In truth, he was probably doing it more for himself. If he was strong, he could keep his precious people alive and thus save himself from the pain of losing them. If he was strong, he could hold back the weird urges he'd been having as of late and save himself from the pain of his few friends leaving him. He was really selfish, and he knew it.

"I'd like to say it's for my friends, but it's to protect myself," Naruto murmured, deciding to be honest.

This time the stranger's face morphed into true surprise before quickly being schooled back to a calm façade.

"Do you have someone that's precious to you?" the person asked.

"I do," Naruto replied. His team, although sort of dysfunctional, was important to him. Iruka and the Sandaime were also precious to him. As was Kyuubi. Kyuubi was probably the most important to him. He didn't know what he'd do without the tailed fox.

The stranger smiled, and the light reached their eyes. "That's good. When a person has something they want to protect…that's when they can truly become strong."

Naruto was silent. Suddenly, the stranger stood.

"I feel that you'll become strong, Uzumaki Naruto. I hope that we meet again," the stranger smiled at him again before beginning to walk away.

Naruto felt the cold air leave with the person. Just as he was about to let his muscles relax, the person stopped and called over their shoulder.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm a guy,"

Naruto won't deny that he was stunned, as the man was definitely one of the prettiest people he had ever met – Naruto froze. _Wait, how did he know my name?_

"Hey, idiot," Naruto heard Sasuke call. He watched as the dark haired boy passed the beautiful man.

Naruto twitched slightly at the insult but didn't reply.

"Did you forget about mealtime?" Sasuke continued, staring down at him condescendingly.

"I fell asleep," Naruto answered.

Neither of them said anything for a while until Sasuke said he was going to train. Naruto decided to do the same.

An hour and a half later, Naruto was resting on one of the higher branches of his tree. He heard the voices of his sensei and Sakura approaching, and he looked down.

"Naruto never came back last night, and now Sasuke-kun hasn't come back from his walk…" she said, a worried look on her face.

Naruto called out to her, feeling bad that he'd made her worry. When she saw him, she visibly looked relieved.

"Sasuke is here, too," the blonde added, pointing to the tree beside him where Sasuke was hanging upside down on a branch.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, so cool!" she shouted, immediately going into fan-girl mode. However, she turned back to Naruto real quick. "Also, good job, Naruto!"

Naruto let a small smile form on his face. He really felt that he and Sakura were becoming fast friends, now that they had gotten over their initial irritation of each other. Even Kyuubi had begun to view the girl as tolerable.

The blonde carefully jumped down and chatted with her for a while as she both obsessed over Sasuke and grilled Naruto on the techniques she taught him. Soon, she and Kakashi left and Naruto and Sasuke once again trained non-stop.

Night had fallen, and Naruto was perched at the very top of his tree. He could now do the exercise with little to almost no concentration.

"Shall we head back?" he heard Sasuke say, and turned to see a smug smirk on the other's face.

"Yeah," he agreed, and couldn't help the small upturn of his lips.

They were less exhausted than they had been the previous night, and were able to walk separately to the house. Naruto was eager to reach Tazuna's and eat, as he'd neglected to eat all day, save for some rice balls Sakura had brought for both him and Sasuke around lunch time.

He opened the door to Sakura and Tsunami laying out plates of food, and he quickly went to take his seat.

"What took you guys so long?" Sakura questioned, sitting down in a chair between Kakashi and Naruto. Sasuke always sat beside Inari, so her only hope of sitting near him was to sit directly in front of him.

"We climbed to the top," Naruto answered, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Good, good. Naruto, Sasuke. Starting tomorrow, you two will also guard Tazuna," Kakashi said, appearing to smile underneath his mask. Sakura congratulated both of them after he spoke.

Naruto smiled, and with that they began to eat. Afterwards, Tazuna cleared his throat.

"You know, I've been wanting to ask you all this for a long time, but why did you continue with the mission even though I lied?" the man asked.

Kakashi answered for the group. "To see what is right and not to do it speaks of an absence of courage. It's a teaching of the late Hokage."

The room was quiet for a while, everyone enjoying the silence. Except Inari. Naruto saw the boy look at him, and watched as tears began to form in the child's eyes. Naruto was confused. He hadn't done or said anything to the boy, so why was he crying?

"Why…?" Inari whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Naruto frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you desperately work so hard until you're bruised and exhausted?! No matter how much you train, you'll never beat Gato's men!" the boy suddenly shouted. "No matter how much of an effort you put out, the weak always lose…"

Naruto didn't reply, choosing instead to ignore the boy. He wasn't exactly sure of how to reply. He had grown up without any family, aside from the Sandaime. He didn't interact much with others until he entered the academy.

Inari seemed to take his silence as an insult.

"I'm sick of looking at you! You know nothing of this land and yet here you are, sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. I'm not like you, who's carefree and hasn't ever known pain!" he screamed, slamming his hands down on the table.

This struck a nerve in Naruto, and he glared at the boy. "I don't know pain, huh? I think you should shut your fucking mouth. You know nothing about me or my team," the half demon snarled, immediately standing up and leaving the room.

He climbed to the roof of the house, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He may have never watched a family member die, but he knew pain. He knew Sasuke also knew pain. Even Sakura, who he had seen bullied by the other girls in the academy to the point where she had to start seeing a therapist, knew pain. And Kakashi…Naruto knew that no one who made Jounin went without seeing a comrade die.

Naruto laid back on the roof and stared up at the sky, counting the stars he could see to take his mind off of his current irritation. He was beginning to calm down when he heard sobbing as well as his sensei's voice asking if he could join the crying boy.

Naruto felt his heart warm as his sensei praised him. He never knew that the man paid that much attention to what was outside of shinobi battles and his books.

The blonde closed his eyes and listened to the world around him as the conversation below slowed to a halt.


End file.
